Sandblasted Billiard with Masur Birch Tobacco Pipe

This is about as understated and classic as Kent Rasmussen's work gets. His shaping style is characteristically sculptural and often organically-informed, and even his most overtly traditional shapes get treated to his penchant for plays on line and form. Imagine our surprise, then, to see this beautiful interpretation of the Danish Billiard, imbued with just the right amount of substance both visually and in hand, and dressed to the nines in a jet-black sandblast, unveiling a plethora of rippling rings cascading down all flanks of the bowl. A true hallmark of a phenomenal carver is their ability to fashion a well-wrought classic, in the process imbuing said classic with their own unique sense of style. I'd say Kent's certainly reminded us of that fact here. The dark texture is contrasted by a stem base of lighter masur birch, lending the composition just the lightest hint of organic dynamism. Lovely piece.